Contractor Bankruptcy Looms at Georgia Nuclear Plant Hearing

[jpak]

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/georgia/articles/2017-05-11/contractor-bankruptcy-looms-at-georgia-nuclear-plant-hearing

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Power executives said Thursday that they're considering all options for the fate of a planned nuclear plant after its main contractor filed for bankruptcy, repeatedly telling state regulators and opposition groups that the project's completion date and total cost are in flux.

The sometimes testy hearing opened the latest biannual review by the Georgia Public Service Commission of project costs, focusing on $222 million spent at the site south of Augusta between July and December. The review opened one day before a contract to keep construction going was set to expire, and the contractor's bankruptcy filing loomed large despite admonitions to various questioners of company witnesses to stay focused on the recent expenses.

"I understand we all want to know these things but it's still speculative," Commission Chair Stan Wise said.

The March 29 filing by Westinghouse Electric Co., the U.S. nuclear unit of Japan's Toshiba Corp., raised questions about the future of four nuclear reactors under construction in Georgia and South Carolina. Consumer groups that have long opposed the project pressed Georgia Power executives on Thursday about what's likely to happen at Plant Vogtle (VOH'-gohl).

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[Wellstone ruled]

1. Seems to me,this was the

bottom line scenario when this plant was first proposed. Believe Georgia Power was Billions short on the original Contract estimates,and that was done purposely.

[democratisphere]

2. How can so many projects like this end up in in a financial catastrophe.

We need to get our act together on nuclear power plants and get them done.